The National Library of Georgia is undergoing a change in legal status, to become a “Legal Entity of Public Law (LEPL)” under the Ministry of Culture.
It is to be noted that the change is also accompanied by a potential name change to the “Ilia Chavchavadze National Library” as part of the amendment package being considered by the Georgian Parliament.
The National Library of Georgia posted a statement about the proposed changes in the legal status of the Library on its official Facebook page on February 4, 2025, Tuesday.
According to the statement of the Georgian National Library, it should be noted that the Republican Library of Georgia was renamed the National Library of Georgia in 1990. By the order of the President of Georgia on December 25, 1996, the National Library was transferred to the subordination of the Parliament of Georgia and was renamed the “National Library of the Parliament of Georgia”.
The Georgian National Library also mentioned that according to the legislative amendments prepared by the Parliament of Georgia for the 2024 convocation, the legal status of the National Library will change and it will become a legal entity of public law (LEPL).
It should also be mentioned that, under the proposed changes, the National Library will be renamed the Ilia Chavchavadze National Library. Despite this transition, all employees will retain their status as public servants. This is also stated in the Law “On the National Library of the Parliament of Georgia”.
It is noteworthy that the change applies only to the part where the institution to which the National Library will be subordinate in the future is determined. Until now, this was the Parliament of Georgia, and from March of this year, it will be the Ministry of Culture of Georgia.
The history of the National Library of Georgia dates back to 1846 when the “Tbilisi Public Library” was founded in Tbilisi. With the opening of the public library, the dream of the Georgian society of that time to create a library in Tbilisi that would be accessible to all segments of the population came true.
According to the Georgian National Library’s Facebook post, it is concluded that the National Library’s status has changed many times over the years but still it remains the country’s main library and the depository of national bibliography.